The Value of a Lost Tooth Is on the Rise

Delta Dental has released new findings from its Original Tooth Fairy Poll® that show a 30-cent increase in the Tooth Fairy’s average cash gift for a total of $4.03 per tooth.

Delta Dental has been analyzing the Tooth Fairy’s U.S. annual giving trends since 1998. The newly disclosed value of a lost tooth has more than tripled since its inception when the value of a lost tooth was $1.30 as it reaches its fourth highest payout in the history of the survey.

The value of lost tooth and the economy
The Original Tooth Fairy Poll has typically mirrored the economy’s overall direction, tracking with the trends of Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500) for 15 of the past 18 years. Last year, a single lost tooth was valued at $3.70 and this year’s survey shows upward growth to $4.03, an increase of nearly 9%. Over the same time period, the S&P 500 also experienced growth, with a 22% increase, reaching its highest average since the inception of the Original Tooth Fairy survey.

U.S. regional snapshot

• $4.35 – The Northeast: Leads U.S. regions in highest average monetary gift for a lost tooth, outranking The West, which led the previous two years in a row.
• $4.01 – The South: Tracks most closely to the overall U.S. average.
• $3.97 – The West: Decreased 22 cents, moving from highest regional average last year to third regional average this year.
• $3.71 – The Midwest: Increased 74 cents over last year but remains lower than the national average for the second year in a row.

For more information, visit Original Tooth Fairy Poll.